As you review things at your small business, does most of it make you smile?

For some small business owners, there are things in play that in fact make them cringe.

If your small business is in need of some changes, will you make them in time before it is too late?

Money May Be Your Number One Focus

In looking at how you can have a better outlook for your small business, focus in on these three areas:

Money – How are you doing these days when it comes to your business finances? If things are tight, you may well need to look into a line of credit. When you apply for a line of credit, be sure you have all your business financial info in place. If you do not have all the necessary info available, it can slow down the application process. It could even prevent you from getting a line of credit in the first place. Even with approval, reassess your financial approach to running your business. Are you doing all you can to keep debt down? Have you done a good job up to now of finding good deals? Such deals include when you buy supplies from vendors. Are you getting a good deal on the property you rent for your business if you do not own your grounds where you work out of? By being a good manager of money, your small business has a much better chance of sticking around for the long haul.

Staff – Unless you are able to run your small business on your own, you will need help. Hiring the right employees goes a long way in determining the success or failure of your company. With that in mind, have you done a good job up to now of bringing in the right talent? While you might have the wrong hire now and then, do not make a habit out of this. Not only does it give customers pause to do business with you, but it can impact worker morale in your company. Over time, a revolving door at your company is going to come back to haunt you. That said make a strong effort to get the right people in the first time around.

Promotions – Last, how good of a job are you doing as it relates to promoting your brand? Keep in mind that brand promotions go a long way in determining how much business you will end up doing. If not taking time or spending money when necessary to promote your brand, you could end up missing out on sales. Also take note that not all brand promotions are going to cost you dollars. For instance, you can use social media to spread the word about your brand. If you have been slow to gravitate to social networking, change this up. Social media is one of the best resources out there that your business should be taking advantage of.

Making sure your brand has a foothold with consumers is important on many fronts.

That said getting the right attention is more important than attention in general.

You do not want to be spinning your wheels trying to get the attention of consumers. If you are doing this, it can be both a waste of time and money.

So, does your brand get the right attention?

Make Sure You Are Doing the Right Promotions

In going about getting the right promotions for your brand, keep the following in mind:

Message – What is the message you want for your brand? Without a strong message, you can miss out on great opportunities and revenue for that matter. Your message should not only be on your website, but also on your promotional items you send out to the public. Let consumers know why they should do business with you and not competitors.

Help – If you are a small business owner, there’s a good chance you are wearing many different hats. As such, it can be hard to get everything done that is necessary. That said you may need to reach out for help to cover all your bases. As an example, are you using search engine optimization (SEO) to further your goals? Not doing so can be missing out on a great opportunity to connect with the public. With that in mind, you may well want to explore the top SEO companies in San Diego or elsewhere. Working with a solid SEO provider can mean the difference in success and failure.

Demographics – Know the proper demographics for your brand. Trying to reach out to consumers without focus is often going to prove worthless. You want to know which consumers will most likely have an interest in your products or services. Some simple surveys can be a good way to find out about the level of interest one has in your brand. In doing surveys; give consumers an incentive to respond.

Social media – While you do not need to have a fixation on social media 24/7, it should be in your repertoire. With that being the case, make sure you know what you are doing when it comes to social networking. Too many business owners are not up to speed on how to use social media the correct way. Having activity on many social sites is fine. That said make sure you give equal attention to them. Your best bet is to start off with one and go from there. For instance, try Facebook. Given it is the world’s most used social site, it will be a good starting point for you. Use it not only to promote your brand, but also engage with the consumer friends you build up over time. Consumer engagement is critical to a winning social effort.

Is your brand kind of stuck in a rut at the moment? If so, what plans do you have to change that moving forward?

For many business owners, their brands are not where they’d like them to be right now. In fact, some are in trouble of dipping into the red when it comes to their finances. If that happens, getting out of that mess can prove quite cumbersome.

For some, this means more marketing and advertising initiatives. Others, meantime, will turn to their products and services to see if they need improvement.

No matter how you deliver more bang for your dollar, it is important that you. With all the competition you are facing, standing pat oftentimes is a recipe for disaster.

Look at Your Website

One of the first areas of attention when looking to give your brand more punch is turning to your website.

In reviewing it, go over the following areas:

Credible and relevant information – How informative is your website? Does it provide consumers with all the details they would want to know about your business? If the answer is no, this is one area that demands your attention. One way to give out more information is having acredible blog (see more below). If blogging has been non-existent with your brand up to now, change that detail moving ahead.

Ease of use – How easy would you say your website is to use for visitors? If they feel like they’re traipsing through a maze more times than not, they’re likely not coming back. Doing regular reviews of your website is not only a good idea, it is a necessity. By doing your best to find cracks in its armor, you will lessen the odds of visitors being one-and-done guests.

Proper contact information – Do you make it simple for your online visitors to contact you? Make sure your company contact info is in an easy area to find. By doing so, you won’t have consumers jumping through hoops trying to reach out to you.

Google ranking – Finally, do you know where your company’s website ranks in online searches? If not, you should get up to speed on this all-important ranking. A strong ranking helps bring more consumers when they search for the products you offer. It can be easy to work your way up the rankings with sound search engine optimization (SEO) practices.

Blogging Your Way to Success

In mentioning blogging a little earlier, it is important to keep in mind how big of a deal your blog is.

For instance, are you doing any guest blogging on other sites? What about having guest bloggers write for your site? By reviewing guest blogging prospects, you can open up a new world of brand opportunities.

While many stick to writing all their own material, it never hurts to allow guest bloggers. In fact having some different bloggers on your site helps in several ways.

First, you bring a different tone and style to the writing on your blog. Second, those guest writers could be some of the top experts in your particular industry. Third, they are more apt to share their posts they write for you with others. By using social media, they can open your business up to countless other B2C and B2B customers.

So, don’t be afraid to blog your way to success before you know it.

As a business owner, are you doing all you can to bring more punch to your brand?

Message – For starters, what kind of message are you intending to send with social media? Some business owners simply use social media because their competitors are on it. While that is a decent enough reason to be active on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and others, it certainly shouldn’t be your prime reason. First and foremost, you should be on social networking sites to deliver your brand’s message. That message should be as to why your products and/or services are superior to your competitors. Make sure each and every time that you go on a social site it has some purpose to it. Just casually using social media is fine for people with personal messages, but companies are best-served when they have a reason to use social sites on a daily basis;

Messenger – Do you have a designated messenger or messengers to deliver your social message on a regular basis? Some companies opt to have one person in charge of their social efforts, while others have multiple people doing the job (including the owner at times). You need to decide which voice or voices will deliver your message, thereby allowing for a more consistent voice;

Commitment – How committed will you and your team (if you run a company with employees) be to social media? Unfortunately, some business owners only dabble on occasion with social media, thereby missing out on some great opportunities to get their brand the recognition it needs to survive. Be sure to make social media one of your priorities as a business owner. Just coming and going on occasion is not going to be worth your time or that of those consumers doing or looking to do business with you.

Avoid Negative Social Media Experiences

Positivity – Although you might be tempted to fire off a negative post every now and then, avoid it at all costs. It is one thing when you don’t run a business to engage in some tit-for-tat negativity on social media. It is an entirely different animal when you have a business reputation to nurture and ultimately protect. Yes, some consumers (including even longtime customers) might get under your skin every now and then, but avoid the temptation to strike back on social media. If you decide to respond to any negative comments, always do it in a professional manner;

Growth – Finally, always be looking to grow your social media presence over time. While making money is and always should be your top priority (don’t forget customer service and its importance too), being relevant on social networking sites is all but a necessity these days. With millions and millions of consumers the globe over on social media, you would be foolish to think it can’t do some good for your business. That said take the time to craft a well thought out social media approach, one where your business shines daily.

As a business owner, how are you putting social media to work for your brand?

For starters, social media gives you an opportunity to engage with consumers, something all businesses should jump on.

In today’s business world, more and more companies are dealing remotely with customers.

As more walk-in types of businesses become harder to find, consumers are oftentimes having to deal with automation, computers, and of course ordering goods and services online. With less of a one-on-one touch, businesses and consumers can meet in the world of social media.

By engaging with current and prospective customers on sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (there are more out there to look at), you can get the pulse of what people are saying about your brand. You can also help those in need of information and/or solving issues when it comes to your brand or industry.

With that in mind, is it time you put more effort into social media heading into 2017?

If the answer to that question is yes, here are a few pointers to help you:

Mission – For starters, clearly define what your mission is with social media. Is it to engage with consumers? Are you only interested in having a social presence because the competition does? Does social media seem like a necessity to keep in touch with the consumer world, seeing what it is saying about your brand? Clearly defining your reasoning for being social in the first place is where you need to begin;

Efforts – If you’re a small business, you may feel you don’t have the time and/or resources to devote to social media. That line of thinking can prove very detrimental, so try and avoid it at all costs. Even if you have to outsource your social media efforts to make them work, do it. Having social experts manning your social networking needs is perfectly fine; though make sure you hire someone (or a company) with social media experience. There is much more than just posting a few messages each day or week. You should track and analyze (see more below) where you’re doing well and not so well on various social sites. Also look to see what times prove most opportune to engage in social media.

Always Stay Positive

Engagement – Although it can prove tempting to respond in a negative manner to consumer comments on your social pages, don’t do it. Given your online reputation goes a long way in determining how much business you ultimately get, coming across as juvenile and/or nasty in social interactions is bad. For starters, it makes consumers wonder if you truly care about them. Secondly, it gives your competition an opportunity to seize upon, painting you and your brand in a bad light. Find a way to make a negative social interaction turn positive for your business;

Results – Last but not least, be sure to gather and understand the results you are getting with social media. To simply post blindly and not know if you’re making inroads or not is not productive. Also use your social sites to survey consumers on different aspects of your business. What do they like? What don’t they like? Are there practices you need to do more of (or for the first time) that you are not presently doing? Lastly, should you be focusing on one or more social sites to get the best results? Knowing where to zero-in on instead of spinning your wheels will benefit you and consumers at the end of the day.

If social media has been a bit of a foreign concept to you up to this point, will that change in 2017?

As a business owner and/or marketer, how would you rate your marketing game?

If it is coming up short of the desired results, do you have a plan in place to change the direction it is headed? In the event you do not, will you sit idly by and watch competitors reap the rewards of your inept marketing abilities?

Unfortunately, some businesses do just that.

They try to market their products and/or services, but ultimately come to the conclusion that they can’t for this or that reason. As a result, the competition gets rich off of them.

So that you do not end up kicking yourself for what effectively are bad marketing practices, stop and listen for a moment.

You can in fact turn things around if you’re so determined.

Don’t Settle for Second-Rate Marketing Initiatives

If the time has come to turn your marketing initiatives around so you can win a little bit more, remember the following four tips:

Goals – First and foremost, what are your goals with your marketing program? Having clearly defined goals is crucial in order for you to succeed. If you’re a small business, you probably have some roadblocks in your way at times, notably your marketing budget. That said it does not mean you can’t accomplish satisfactory results. With this year almost in the books, now would be a good time to review what you set forth as far as marketing goals for 2017;

Listening – You may think you are a marketing whiz (perhaps you are to one degree or another), but it never hurts to listen to others in the profession. If you have a marketing team in your office, have regular meetings to iron out where the marketing initiatives are headed. You might also find this great marketing podcast of great benefit to your endeavors. Such podcasts can provide a plethora of good marketing information like trends in the industry, where consumers have their heads at these days, why social media can never be taken for granted etc. There are more and more marketing podcasts, videos etc. on the market today than ever before. As such, you can learn lots of good information, information that you can then take and apply to your marketing strategies. While it is perfectly fine to think you know just about all there is to know regarding marketing, keeping your ears and eyes open never hurts.

Networking with Other Marketing Pros

Networking – It is one of the proven ways of getting new business leads, yet so many businesses (and marketers for that matter) drop the ball all too often when it comes to networking. As a result, they miss out on some golden opportunities to secure new business. While your marketing budget may be tight, you should do all you can to attend valuable marketing conferences etc. Even if you have to meticulously pick and choose which ones to attend, do it. The door is open to potential new business at each and every conference, trade show, chamber of commerce event etc. Make those doors open even wider by attending and solidifying new business leads;

Hiring – Last but certainly not least, are you hiring the right marketing talent at your business? In some cases, the answer to that question may be no. If you are not, that needs to change sooner rather than later. Take a look at what some of your competitors are doing when it comes to those they hire. Where are they getting these hires from? What kind of opportunities are they giving them to succeed in their careers? Knowing what winning marketing pros want from a business etc. is something you can never take for granted.

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